al-Dhakhair wa al-Abqariyat

Al-Dhakha'ir wa-al-'Abqariyyat (Treasures and Masterpieces) is a comprehensive Arabic literary and cultural anthology compiled by the Egyptian man of letters Abd al-Rahman al-Barquqi (1293–1363 AH / 1876–1944 CE) al-Alam lil-Zirikli+1.

Background and Composition

The project originated following an initiative by the Egyptian Ministry of Education inviting writers to select and refine classical heritage texts for students and young readers al-Dhakhair wa al-Abqariy…. Among the nominated titles was Muhadarat al-Udaba' wa-Muhawarat al-Shu'ara' (Lectures of the Literati and Dialogues of the Poets) by al-Raghib al-Isfahani al-Dhakhair wa al-Abqariy…. Although al-Barquqi initially intended to prepare an abridgment of al-Raghib's work, he found it heavily corrupted by textual errors, misreadings, and scribal corruptions affecting Quranic verses, prophetic traditions, poetry, and aphorisms al-Dhakhair wa al-Abqariy…+1.

Rather than merely abridging the existing text, al-Barquqi resolved to compile an independent, verified anthology that extracted the best material from Muhadarat al-Udaba' and expanded upon it using numerous other classical sources al-Dhakhair wa al-Abqariy….

Title and Methodology

Al-Barquqi designated the work al-Dhakha'ir wa-al-'Abqariyyat to describe its dual character:

• Al-'Abqariyyat ("Masterpieces"): Eloquent, short, aphoristic sayings chosen for the excellence of both their form and their meaning al-Dhakhair wa al-Abqariy….
• Al-Dhakha'ir ("Treasures"): Concise linguistic and scientific inquiries integrated into the text, such as select excerpts from al-Jahiz's Kitab al-Hayawan (The Book of Animals) on topics like castration and the evil eye, stripped of extraneous filler al-Dhakhair wa al-Abqariy….

He noted that the two terms could be used interchangeably, as every exceptional saying constitutes a treasure and every valuable subject represents a masterpiece al-Dhakhair wa al-Abqariy…. In compiling the anthology, al-Barquqi cross-referenced every poem, saying, and textual fragment against other primary sources, completed truncated citations, and incorporated additional prose and poetry from his own reading and memory al-Dhakhair wa al-Abqariy….

Structure and Scope

Al-Barquqi departed from the thematic classification used by al-Raghib and other traditional adab encyclopedias, establishing his own framework by organizing the work into overarching "books" (kutub) and subdividing them into thematic chapters (abwab) that grouped related concepts together al-Dhakhair wa al-Abqariy…. He adapted al-Raghib's thematic headings while altering, adjusting, and expanding most of them al-Dhakhair wa al-Abqariy….

The material encompasses a wide variety of subjects, including courage, attitudes toward death, illness, and condolence al-Dhakhair wa al-Abqariy…+1. At the beginning of the second volume, al-Barquqi prefaced the new chapters with supplementary selections corresponding to headings from the first volume to supply omissions and transition the reader smoothly between themes al-Dhakhair wa al-Abqariy….

Publication

The work was published in two printed volumes during the author's lifetime al-Alam lil-Zirikli+1. Al-Barquqi died in 1363 AH while preparing the third volume Majallat al-Risala.